Many proponents of the misnamed academic freedom acts suffer from the same TOOBSOM syndrome - Talking Out Of Both Sides Of Mouth. In public, they claim that they're just trying to make sure high school students receive what they consider the best science education possible, despite the fact that those proponents lack expertise in either science or education.
A commenter at the Florida Citizens for Science blog asked,
"what if legislation was introduced that banned security bars across shop windows in cities for aesthetic reasons? Would it make a difference if the lobbyists for that legislation had been convicted of multiple store robberies?"
Just like those criminals, these legislators' own actions make their intentions very clear.
For example, Rep. Wayne Cooper of Missouri claims to support academic freedom:
Missouri lawmakers who want intelligent design taught in public schools as an alternative to evolution hope a documentary starring actor Ben Stein will prompt new debate on the subject.
Rep. Wayne Cooper, R-Camdenton, introduced legislation Tuesday that would give teachers academic freedom to offer alternative evidence to Charles Darwin's 19th century theory of evolution.
Rep. Wayne Cooper, R-Camdenton, introduced legislation Tuesday that would give teachers academic freedom to offer alternative evidence to Charles Darwin's 19th century theory of evolution.
(The reporter missed the fact that Darwin's theory itself has changed extensively since the 19th century . . .)
But in 2004, Cooper introduced legislation that would have
In this proposed legislation, Cooper listed standard creationist claims against evolution along with stringent, specific instructions for teachers to teach these as science, and the provision that
7. Willful neglect of any elementary or secondary school superintendent, principal, or teacher to observe and carry out the requirements of this section shall be cause for termination of his or her contract.
This bill didn't pass, but Cooper's intent was clear: academic freedom only exists for creationists.
Florida senator Ronda Storms introduced the Discovery Institute-authored "Academic Freedom Act" last month in the Florida Senate. Although
" . . . Storms said her goal is to protect academic freedom and promote critical thinking - not to spread a religious belief about the origin of life."
Storms is best known in Florida for her position on minorities in the legal profession , her proposal for mandatory sterilization of child abusers, and her virulent anti-gay proposals.
Storms' support of academic freedom might be more believable if it was extended to all subjects, not just to evolution.
In both cases, these legislators are trying to legislate their own beliefs on everyone else's children with reckless disregard for rights of the parents to make that decision for their own children.
Supporters of creationism and its evolved version, intelligent design, have a long history of hypocrisy. The good news is that teenagers have some of the most finely-tuned hypocrisy detectors in existence.
posted by Cheryl Shepherd-Adams
